Note: Contains spoilers for Shazam!
Aquaman marked a sea change for the Worlds of DC in terms of the future of its shared universe.
Following Aquaman's minimal links to Justice League (or anything before), we were told that Shazam! would be "very standalone" and requires no knowledge of the previous Worlds of DC movies.
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"Yeah, it takes place in this DC world, where all these heroes exist, but in some ways, yeah, it's both sort of self-contained, while also being a part of something bigger," explained director David F Sandberg.
So it might come as a surprise just how much Shazam! connects to the Worlds of DC in the end.
Unlike Aquaman which, Steppenwolf reference aside, could well have taken place in any universe, Shazam! is firmly rooted in the Worlds of DC with frequent nods towards established characters.
Largely, this comes through Billy Batson's foster brother Freddy Freeman, a superhero expert who has a seemingly endless amount of memorabilia, including a bullet stopped by Superman.
"Shazam! is almost a look at other superheroes, because it's set in Philadelphia, but in a world where these superheroes exist and are real," producer Peter Safran told Digital Spy.
"Consequently, guys like Freddy Freeman – you know, the ultimate fanboy – would have action figures, and would have memorabilia, the same way that kids might have of other celebrities."
But it's not just Freddy.
We also see a Batman figure being used as a weapon by Shazam himself, and another child staging his own Batman v Superman duel during the movie's climactic face-off between Shazam and Dr Sivana.
Freddy testing Shazam's powers is pretty much a roll call of DC superhero powers, with the post-credits scene even mocking Aquaman's powers.
And if, somehow, you were in any doubt that Shazam! took place firmly in the Worlds of DC, the final scene sees a cameo from none other than Superman himself.
Sure, we don't see his face and star Zachary Levi has insisted he's never met Henry Cavill, so it's probably just a random guy in the Superman costume. But it's clearly the Worlds of DC's take on that iconic suit and cape.
Safran told Digital Spy that there was only one restriction on Shazam!'s numerous references to the Worlds of DC: "We wouldn't put in characters that didn't exist yet. If they haven’t been introduced yet, they couldn't be in it."
So that means that, like Aquaman and presumably future movies, there's no set-up for any future Worlds of DC movies.
But by so clearly setting it in the world where the likes of Aquaman, Wonder Woman and co exist, Shazam! does set itself up for future crossover with the other movies on DC's slate.
Especially as Levi seems keen to team up with the Justice League one day, calling it "bucket list stuff".
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Shazam! certainly shows how future Worlds of DC movies can be connected, while also telling their own story.
Shazam! is in cinemas now.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
